@Rob_Shore I’ve seen Umphrey’s McGee over 20 times, but never had the chance to review a show. Andy assigned me that task last night, and I got really excited. Due to the Dead going an hour late, we really weren’t sure what time all the late night shows would start. Andy wanted to take pictures at MSTRKRFT. After his time in the photo pit, we made our way through the Sherwood Forest towards Umph.

We got there towards the end of “Hurt Bird Bath”, which we thought was the second or third song. After a failed attempt at getting into the photo pit, we realized it was closer to halfway through the first set. Once we settled back into our spot, the sextet seemed to settle in themselves as Bayliss sang the opening verse of “Hajimemashite.” I’ve heard a lot of talk recently about Bayliss and his vocals not being up to par. If that’s true, I certainly didn’t notice. His vocals sounded better than ever, as he belted out the end of “Haji” while lighting designer Jeff Waful bathed both the stage and the crowd in color.

I’ve only had a chance to see a few of their new songs live, so I was really excited to catch some of the new tunes this weekend.When they transitioned seamlessly from “Hajimemashite” to the end of “Mantis”, I knew I had missed most of the one song I was most looking forward to seeing. The long jam at the end of “Mantis” along with mesmerizing guitar work from Jake Cinninger got me over it rather quickly.

Umphrey’s continued to satisfy my need to hear new material by playing some of my favorites from the new album. “Cemetery Walk” parts I and II had the late night crowd moving and gave Waful more time to show us why he’s one of the best lighting designers in the business.

After an “Eminence Front” sandwich on “Ringo” bread, Cinninger told Joel Cummins that he wanted him to play something “fancy.” When I heard that, I knew we were in for an electrifying late night version of “Nothing Too Fancy.” I found Eric Blumenfeld, and we rocked along with the rest of the crowd as they tore through N2F and segued a blistering version of “1348” to close out the second set.

At close to 4:00am I didn’t really expect an encore. Little did I know, they had started “All In Time” during the first set and had yet to finish it. Umphrey’s moved effortlessly from the end of “Glory” to my favorite part of “All In Time,” which included some intricate guitar harmonies from Cinninger and Bayliss. It was a great way to end the first Umphrey’s show I’ve seen all year, and I can’t wait to see another two sets tonight.